Human Trafficking Awareness comes to Zanesville

Human trafficking is a 10 billion dollar industry in the United States.

‘Anchored for Justice’ hosted a human trafficking awareness event today at Ohio University Zanesville. The day featured food, vendors, a mime performance, and speakers. Muskingum County Sheriff Matt Lutz was the key note speaker. He said that he came to represent law enforcement’s role in the growing problem.

“It’s very frustrating to a certain extent because we don’t get every case reported to us,” said Lutz. “So as a law enforcement officer your goal is to help make your community as safe as possible and if there are things you don’t know about or don’t get reported it’s hard to do stuff about. ”

Women who suffered in the human trafficking lifestyle stepped forward to tell their stories. Spokesperson Jamie Vanover stopped to talk about her personal experience.

“They asked me if they could buy me a drink and I said ‘yeah of course you can buy me a drink’,” said Vanover. “I was all excited, and so that was the last thing I remember. ”

Vanover was captured and held against her will for six days after that night. She managed to escape and said that she is grateful to have survived and to tell her story.